Study shows MP, Bengal worst in giving RTI info

BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal are among the worst states with regard to providing information under the RTI Act, a study by an NGO has found.
As per the study, the pendency in Information Commissions (ICs) of the states is such that it could take around 60 years for an RTI application to come up for appeal in MP while it could take around 18 years in West Bengal.
A backlog of over 1.98 lakh cases, including disposal of appeals and complaints, is pending in 23 ICs across the country, says the study, conducted by NGO RTI Assessment and Advocacy Group.
It is a matter of great concern that the Central Information Commission (CIC) is headless. The post has been lying vacant for month now,” said one of the research coordinators, activist Shekhar Singh. As far as pendency in terms of number of cases is concerned, UP tops the list with over 48,000 cases, followed by Maharashtra with over 32,000 cases, the study says. The CIC, meanwhile, had 26,115 cases pending as of December 2013. “There were no backlogs in Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura,” it said. Maharashtra received the highest number of appeals and complaints (73,968) during 2012-2013, followed by the CIC (62,723) and UP (62,008).